What lies beyond the fire
by kynsia
Summary: What lies beyond the known land of Mordor? Will contain MxM in later chapters.
1. The flag waves

**This is not my first story ever, but it is the first story to ever go online. Please tell me if something doesn't fit into the original story. I have only seen the movie, so this is set in the realm of the movies. **

**If you find any mistakes in my spelling or grammar, please tell me. English is not my native language.**

**Warning: In later chapters, this story will contain Male on Male action.**

**Disclaimer: As this is a fan fiction, nothing in this story is owned by me, except for the idea.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Introduction<strong>_

_What lies beyond the fires of Mount Doom? Many have wandered, but none have returned. They have been slayed by orks, or have simply lost the way. Men knows the sea of Nurnen lies there, but none have gone. Men knows what lies at the borders of the north, west and south, but no maps are drawn of the small portion of land (though it is many kilometers across) east of Mordor, where the sun rises when you look from the natural mountain borders of Mordor._

_Now that the land of Mordor has collapsed into the fiery pits of the earth and ork can harm man no more, it might be time to explore what land lies there._

_**Chapter one**_

**The flag waves**

Aragorn had packed, and now sat down on his kingly bed. He sighed and smiled, yet a certain nervous, primal look was in his eyes.

"What worries you?" Arwen asked of him. She was seated beside him and reached for his hand, which Aragorn eagerly grasped.

"Guilt." He replied. "Especially for Faramir. It had been only five years since Mordor and three since his marriage to Eowyn. I fear I might be pulling him and my other friends to their deaths if I take them on this journey. I fear to part them from the lives they have found after the start of the new age."

"Mordor is gone, now. You and your friends are aching for a new journey. You may be a king now, but the greatest part of your life you have been a ranger. You were not made to sit still, Aragorn."Arwen got to her feet and stared at him intensely. "Do not worry, for I will rule these lands in your absence. Nothing will go wrong under my judgment and you will return even more famous a king once you have seen the lands beyond Mordor."

Aragorn wanted to reply, but a knock on the door came.

"It's about time for you to get out of your chambers, my king." He recognized the voice of Legolas, one of the few elves who had not left for the undying lands. Perhaps the most human of elves Aragorn had ever met.

"Don't give me that 'your king', Legolas. " Aragorn said. He opened the door and greeted his friend with a pat on his shoulder. "I will be right there." He gestured for Arwen to give him her arm to hold and when they left the room, they were in the role of king and queen. The staff of the house greeted them at the entrance and bowed while they nodded in approval. Aragorn gave a nod to dismiss them.

"Quite the crowd has gathered outside." Legolas said. "Clearly the public is interested in what we are up to."

"Obviously…" Aragorn muttered. Even though this was an informal leave, word got around quickly in Minas Tirith and most of the citizens had gathered outside to see the king and his friends go on another journey. Aragorn had purposely put on his traveling clothes. The clothes he had worn all his life were gone, of course, because a king could simply not go out in clothes that had holes and unprofessional repairs in them. Now he wore simple clothes. A linen shirt, linen trousers and a short tabard. Above it he wore a complete black leather armor and sturdy black leather boots. The white tree of Gondor was stitched onto his sleeve.

"I will ride out on Brego." He told the stable boy.

"Brego is saddled and ready, my lord." The boy muttered nervously. He made a head gesture in the direction of the stables, where the proud brown horse stood, along with the friends that would join him on this journey: Gimli the dwarf, Merry and Pipin, the hobbits who left the shire for Gondor and Faramir.

"I can't say I'm anything but glad that you are willing to come along, my friends."Aragorn said.

"Well, you shouldn't!" Gimli yelled. "I'm surprised you even found the time to come with us!" He scoffed theatrically. Faramir hit him on the back of the head.

"It's very much true." Aragorn said. "If you had told me before the fellowship that I was to be king, I would have laughed at you, but now I am a busy man indeed.

"Well, at least we are glad to go somewhere again!" Merry said.

"The Shire seems to have grown lame and slow. A journey is the reason we left!" His cousin filled in.

"Yes, and for the pints of course…"

"Hushhhh!" Pippin hissed frantically. Merry rolled his eyes and everyone laughed.

"I think it is time we set out, don't you?" Legolas said, as he saddled his horse and mounted it. He pulled Merry in front of him. The others answered in agreement and mounted as well. Gimli this time had his own horse, for he had taken lessons from Eowyn.

Aragorn gave the crown to Arwen.

"Keep it safe and rule well." He said, tucking away a strand of hair that had gone astray and had fallen in front of her face. She pecked him on the lips.

"Safe travels." She muttered in elvish. She pressed the crown against her breast.

Then, the men left on their horses. Outside the citadel premises most of Gondor had gathered to give them quick nods of approval and a few curious looks. The elderly showed a clear disgust to their highness' choice of clothing, but the rest of them seemed not to mind, or even appreciate it.

"They think the clothes make you more human than any king or steward before."Legolas explained. " But the elderly are used to the arrogance of Denetor. They think a king should only be king, and act that way."

"A moronic assumption of course!"Gimli shouted and he grinned to the audience. "They also think that an axe is only a tool for chopping trees! I can tell them otherwise…"

"perhaps that is something to keep quiet about, my friend." Aragorn quickly hushed them. Even though Gimli was a good friend, his speech was barbaric and everyone had trouble not taking treats seriously when they did not know him.

Down the seven levels of the white city they rode, between the masses, until the giant gate showed around the corner. The way was kept free by the guards.

"Open the gate!" Arwen yelled. Six guards in ceremonial clothing ran to the heavy door and pushed it open. At that exact moment, the white light of the sunrise blinded the crowd. In this seemingly divine light, the new fellowship rode out and the black flags of Gondor waved as they passed.


	2. Rats feast on rotten flesh

**Chapter two: Rats live of rotten flesh**

"Well, that was far more dramatic than I had imagined." Gimli broke the moment of silence after the gates had closed.

"The people has high expectations of us" Faramir replied bitterly. "They must have been influenced by my father."

"The crowd is never content." Aragorn said in reply. "We ride for Osgiliath and will cross the river there. I believe a wooden bridge has been built in order for travelers and caravans to pass through, or at least, that is what I ordered to be done several weeks ago. The ferries were hardly fast enough and barely ever effective." He upped the tempo to a calm trot in which, he knew, the horses could travel for days. Osgiliath was clearly visible on the other side of the plains and would take no more than half an hour to get to.

Since the great battle between Mordor and the rest of Middle Earth, the sight in the eastern direction had changed. The once dark, forever clouded skies were nearly clear after five years. A weak red light still came from the raging magma in the pit around where the great volcano once stood, but nonetheless, the strange feeling of ominous darkness was gone.

Aragorn had seen the people of Minas Tirith change as the shadow subsided. They had become more cheerful. Quite a few had started small farms around Minas Tirith, because they felt that they could now go outside. It was far from a serious industry and more like gardening, but on a beautiful summers day like this, the farmers would wave and smile, and be indifferent to threats and rumours.

"Strange, how these lands have changed to peaceful plains."Legolas said, as if he had read Aragorns mind.

"Makes you far less nervous!" Pipin exclaimed. He waved his hands in front of Faramir, before whom he was seated on the horse. He looked over his shoulder. Faramir smiled to him with his lips, but his eyes did not have a laughing glister. He would probably never grow into a truly happy man if he did not overcome his father.

"Do you think you will ever come to like Gondor?" Legolas asked of Faramir. Aragorn threw him a suspicious look. It was impossible, but it really was as if his elvish friend had read his mind- They probably just thought very much alike. Strange perhaps, but Legolas was the most human of elvenkind after all.

"No… I do not think I ever will. I have too many bad memories here. Perhaps I should move to Rohan with Eowyn. I'm sure she will be happier there as well..."

"But…?" Pippin filled in, sensing the hesitation in Faramir's voice. "You're afraid to betray your honor as steward, aren't you?"

"I am." Faramir hesitantly admitted. "Even though I hated my father, I have to continue the line of stewards. I just cannot leave Gondor."

"Yet you are leaving Gondor as we speak. You should stop lying to yourself, my friend. Even if this is just for a shorter period, you are leaving your post to someone else just the same. The only thing you are regretting now is that Eowyn could not come along. Should you ever move to Rohan, you will be leaving your post and be able to take Eowyn with you."Aragorn said wisely. "It would make you happy." Faramir sighed and nodded in reply.

"I will consider" He said vaguely.

Aragorn sighed. Although he had a strong urge to make a father-like comment, he did not. Faramir was a grown man and would definitely not appreciate it.

"Well, we have reached Osgiliath." He said instead.

The city of Osgiliath still was a sad leftover of its former glory. Half of it lay in the water, in ruins, where the rats nested and hunted for food that had fallen of travelers carts. There was an incredible stench of rot hanging in the air. Beggars and thieves slept in the remains of the buildings.

"This was once a stronghold…" Faramir said.

"Not a place I'd visit on a holiday." Pippin joked. He threw a few crumbs down the wooden bridge and watched the rats gather. Pulling an ugly face out of disgust, he looked away. Merry laughed.

"You joke about it, but you can't even look at it without throwing up!" He said.

"Master Hobbits!" Aragorn said quickly. "Shut your foolish mouths before you attract the wrong attention." Anxiously he looked around. Any word about him being the king and they would be dead meat. He could not see the hungry eyes glistering beneath the bridge but knew they were there. They were not strong, but they were with many.

"We should pick up our pace…" Legolas whispered. His elven eyes saw more than any human could. With a careful glance Aragorn looked at the path behind them. Travelers had fled and murderers were hidden behind the stones.

"Let them come!" Gimli yelled. He had his axe ready in his hand and stroked his beard with a glister in his eyes. "Come on, let me off the horse! I can't roll into a fight!"

"They are not your enemy, Gimli." Aragorn slanted his eyes. "At the count of three, we all ride as fast as we can, understood?"

"But, but…" Gimli was disappointed, of course. He was how a dwarf is born: A fighter till death.

"One"

Aragorn could clearly hear footsteps behind them now.

"Two…"

They were getting close, but they had to wait. They had to take them by surprise or they would be shot.

"Three."

The men rode as fast as they could. Aragorn could see the hobbits desperately hanging of their hosts, trying not to fall of the vigorously galloping horses. In a short time, they had crossed the bridge and rode onto the plains beyond.

"To the crater!" Legolas yelled. They rode as fast as they could, following his directions and going straight for the nearest place where the ground had fallen away. As they got closer, the temperature rose and a red glow crossed the land. The air became dry and hard to breathe in.

"I think they've given up!"Merry yelled, looking over Legolas' shoulder. "Yes, they are going back! They don't want to get close to Mordor!"

"Even an Ent is faster than you!"Pippin mocked the muggers.

Graduately, they slowed down.

"And that is what I meant by saying the wrong kind of attention, Peregrin, Meriadoc."Aragorn said. He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Not even an hour and you've done it already. Luckily the routes we will take after this are not as busy…"

"I do not think they caused it, Aragorn."Legolas said calmly. Even after a fast gallop like just before, there was no sweat on his brow and his clothes were still neat. "The muggers were gathered before the hobbits even spoke. It was no secret that we were riding that way. If all of Minas Tirith knows, the news will travel to Osgiliath easily."

"… I must admit." Aragorn said. "Adrenalin took the best of my brain."

"No offence taken!" Merry said.

"Nor by me!" Pippin continued.

"Good. We deviated from our route only slightly. We can follow the Harad road to the North or the South. It will bring us to the sides of Mordor's mountains either way."

"Shall we toss a coin over it?" Gimli said.

"Actually, that is not that bad an idea. We don't know what's in store either way." Faramir replied."North is heads?" he took an old Gondorian coin from his pocket and handed it to Aragorn, who threw him a questioning look.

"Well, you're the one who guides the way." Faramir shrugged. They were other words for 'you are my king', but Aragorn just smiled and tossed the coin.

"Tails. We're heading south." He concluded. At the back of his mind he thought about how foolish it was to let a journey depend on the tossing of a coin. There were of course enough things to think about, such as the paths they would have to tread. The south was far more dangerous. Although Ithilien was a beautiful country, the neighboring South Gondor was a desert and many enemies still resided in Near Harad next to it. "I think we should not go further than Poros then."He added.

"I have indeed heard that there is a pass near the river, which can take you into the mountains." Legolas added, he gave Aragorn a seemingly knowing stare, as if he was covering for his fear of going near enemy lands. Aragorn presented him a slightly hidden smile.

"Well, what are we doing, standing still like this? If it's south we are heading, south we go!" Gimli jeered. "You are all slow minded. We dwarves are thinkers. You see, my niece on my far cousins side was a writer and a damn good one at that…" Shaking their heads at their uncongenial companion, the fellowship laughed and turned their horses to the south.

_In was inaudible and invisibly small, but there was a small spark that could set aflame a forest for two. It sunk into the duo's mind and settled there to rest, until slowly, they would come to understand it._


	3. The night be dark and jolly

**Chapter 3: The night be dark and jolly**

There was a great silence around the camp of the travelers. The only sound was the soft bubbling of the cooking pot and the occasional dripping of molten grease from the swine on the spit. Both hobbits were sound asleep after the long journey, even though they had not eaten yet. A rarity. Gimli and Faramir had just come back from hunting and were so tired that even the dwarf had shut up and was now laying down on the soft forest floor.

"… The food is almost ready." Aragorn said. He spoke softly, for he did not want to wake the hobbits. There was an awkward silence when nobody answered. Aragorn broke it by turning the spit. It made a loud scratching noise.

"Huh, what, food?" Merry sat up and gave his younger cousin a poke with his elbow. "Pippin, dinner is ready!"

"Let me sleep some more…."

"Food! Pippin, F. O . O. D!" Merry spelled. "You told me how hungry you were before we fell asleep, you can't just sleep through it now." He pulled his cousin up by the arms and blew in his face.

"Hmmwhat? Oh, dinner is ready!" Pippin rubbed his eyes and muttered a 'thanks' to Legolas, who handed him his plate.

"Now that we have all woken up, I have something to tell you." Aragorn said. He sipped from his soup. " Although the forces of Mordor have been wiped out, many people are still on their side. One of the greatest forces are the Harad. During the five years after the war, Gondor has carefully started to trade with them again and this road, the Harad road, is their trading route. " he spoke calmly, to let the words sink in. "We are only halfway through South Ithilien, so there is no danger yet, but be prepared." Pippin gulped down his soup nervously.

"I am always prepared!" Gimli laughed. He gave the small stack of axes next to him a loving glare and petted it. "Who wants to get to you, young master hobbit, first has to get past me!"

"The very reason we took you with us." Faramir joked.

Aragorn looked at the jolly bunch and happily laughed with them.

"I thought I was your friend!" Gimli objected, not understanding the joke.

"No, you are my personal bodyguard." Legolas replied with a straight face.

"That better be a lie, elf!" Gimli roared. Then, he started to laugh. Even on Legolas' face a thin smile was visible.

Aragorn was mesmerized by his friend and found it strange, that an expression could change so much, with so little effort. Legolas' usually nearly emotionless face became like that of a god, with his silvery blonde hair framing it. This look was something that belonged to an elven face. It was the first thing that made him fall in love with Arwen, too. However, he had never noticed that his friend could have the same charms as an elven woman.

"Your soup is getting cold, Aragorn."Legolas suddenly said.

Aragorn quickly ate the rest of his food and hid his face behind his bowl for as far as he could. He had been staring at his friend without even noticing, but he, on the other hand, had been noticed doing so.

"I will stand guard for the first few hours. Who's after me?" He said quickly, to distract the attention.

"I will! I just slept, so I just need a little more time…" Pippin said, before letting himself roll on his side and fall asleep almost immediately.

"I think the hobbits will need all the time they have to sleep." Aragorn corrected him. "I will see who is awake when it is time to shift."

The moon was still shining bright and risen high when Aragorn felt the first signs of sleepiness. Being a king had done him no good. As a ranger who traveled the woods, he had been able to stalk prey for hours, or wait for an opportunity to sleep safely, but now, his body had grown lazy.

"Isn't it about time you go to bed, my friend?" A velvet voice startled Aragorn. His silver haired friend was sitting upright under his blankets.

"For how long have you been awake?"Aragorn asked.

"Long enough to notice that your eyes are closing slowly. You have fallen asleep twice, but did not notice. Shall I take over the duty?" Aragorn blushed slightly in shame. Everything was so obvious to his friend. And his friends… He wanted them to know last, that he was growing older, weaker and tired.

"…It is fine."He replied. He saw Legolas raise his brow, but the elf asked no questions.

"Have my blanket." The man said. "Or else you will turn cold. Tomorrow you have to be awake and as alert as a squirrel. Have you felt how the ground is shaking?" Aragorn lay his head on the ground and listened. As his friend had said, a low thumping could be heard, along with a loud scratching noise.

"…It might be a caravan, but they are with many people. I heard carts as well as hooves."

"You are right" Aragorn said. "Tomorrow we warn the others."

"I shall keep my eyes and ears open."Legolas said with a nod. "If they are coming for us, we will know. But at least I have not heard Elefaunts. It is no great army coming this way. Is that enough of a reassurance to put you to bed?" Aragorn sighed, but gave his friend a dashing smile.

"For once, I will listen." he said.

"Good." Legolas replied, looking into the distance. When Aragorn had settled under his blanket, he turned to him briefly. "Sweet dreams."

Aragorn looked up in surprise. "… Yes, thank you." He said, a bit slowly. What was it, with this elf, that made him stumble over his words? He rested his head on the soft forest floor after realizing he had been staring at his friend's back again.

When he woke the following morning, it was because of heavy footsteps nearing his head. He sat up too quickly in shock and grabbed for a sword that was not even there.

"Wow, wow, it's just me." Faramir said quickly, taking a few steps back. "Your ranger skills are still honed I see. It's time to wake."

"Good morning I suppose." Aragorn muttered, raking a hand through his hair to comb out the worst of the knots. He was surprised to see all of his companions up and packing. How could he, of all people, have slept through all the noise? Speaking of noise…

"Legolas, my friend, have you defined the nature of the footsteps yet?" He asked his silver-haired friend, who was standing a few feet to his right, hoisting his baggage over the back of his horse.

"It was but a caravan." Legolas replied. " They were with more people, but closer than we estimated, so they passed by this morning at an early hour. I am surprised you slept through it, it woke even Gimli."

"Yes, me too…" Aragorn decided it was time to get to his feet and start packing as well. He ripped off a small piece of his lembasbread and stuffed it in his mouth as a poor substitute for breakfast. He rolled up the blanket and handed it to Legolas. "Here, this was yours wasn't it? I haven't unpacked mine, sorry to let you sleep without a blanket."

"I slept under your blanket. I hope you don't mind."Legolas replied, refusing to look Aragorn in the eye, but accepting his blanket and stuffing it in the bag that was not on his horse yet. "I put it back in your bag already- and I saddled Brego."

"Oh I- well I was about to, but you saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you." Aragorn said. He looked at the brown horse, the only horse trustworthy enough to not have been tied to a tree. All of his bags had been packed and indeed a saddle already rested on the horse's back. "You are far too nice to me."

"Should I be less nice than?"Legolas joked. He grinned in a very… unearthly way. Showing white teeth and slightly narrowing his eyes. Aragorn realized he found it charming and stared at his friend with his mouth agape for a short moment.

"If being this nice is what you are, who am I to change you? I think we all like your company this way." He said, turning his head away.

"Chitter-chatters! We are ready to go. Are you?" Gimli yelled, riding in inpatient circles on his horse.

"Yes, in fact we are." Legolas replied a little too quickly. Aragorn narrowed his eyes when his friend rushed away and mounted his horse at such a speed he almost stumbled, but he shrugged. He did not know what to think of his friend's behavior and so, he thought nothing of it. He mounted Brego calmly and joined his friends.

"Well, I suppose it is time to go…"He muttered. "To the south."

**(A/N): **

**It has been a while, but here is the chapter. Please tell me if I have made a mistake, English is not my native language.**


End file.
